This camping table by Burton was the piece of gear that I never knew I needed. It was the prize in a giveaway that Britt won a few years ago. The table breaks down into a case that is about the size of 3 soup cans stacked end to end. We use it all of the time at home, and it has been an essential item for our current indoor camping experience.
Above: No longer 20/20 Jake, is also in desperate need of a haircut and a beard trim.
At my annual eye exam this year, I discovered that I no longer have perfect vision. They tell me it comes with getting old. Part of me was really bummed. Another part of me was secretly excited for a new array of prescription accessories. Warby Parker are not the best quality glasses out there (not by a long shot). They feel kind of cheap and are prone to smudging. I’m making these comparisons based on years of wearing sunglasses from different levels of the quality spectrum. I would not put Warby in the category of gas station glasses, but they are noticeably inferior to basically anything made by Luxottica.
Despite their shortcomings, I’m a huge fanboy of the Warby Parker brand. The glasses look good. Their customer service is some of the best that I have experienced. Further, the value is definitely there. For around $100 a pop, you get trendy prescription glasses delivered to your door!
I ordered the “Beale” sunnies mostly for driving. But I like them enough that they have made it into the regular rotation. I didn’t even realize when I ordered them that they are polarized. Bonus!! The only downside of being a Warby Parker customer is that I am now constantly bombarded with their ads when browsing basically any site with advertising. And, uh I want to buy ’em all!
[Photo Cred: Britt]
Our first weekend in the Catskills we had a cord of wood delivered by dump truck. It was a giant pile of mostly dry hickory and cherry wood logs. Great firewood, but no kindling sized pieces. I needed a way to split some smaller pieces but did not want to invest in a full sized axe (yet). I also wanted something a little more substantive than a regular hatchet. Estwing solved my conundrum with their Camper’s Axe.
I grew up using Estwing’s brick hammers, and have a lot of confidence in their tools. This piece is no exception. The long handle gives me the ability to swing it like a regular axe. But I can also choke up on the handle a bit and use it with a hammer for finishing off a stubborn split. It has been a great addition to the tool chest.
I have never been a fan of these things, to be completely honest. I think that the coffee is chemically tasting and watered down. I am also not a fan of the amount of waste these things generate. But desperate times call for desperate measures. We actually inherited this piece from a time that we had Keurig loving family member staying as a guest at our place. As with most of the kitchen stuff that we brought, I probably would have never thought of packing this thing. Thanks again Britt, because this thing has definitely been a game changer during this era of indoor camping.
Yes, it is a power tool; an old one. I can’t be exactly sure when this thing came into my possession, but after some forensic reminiscing, I peg it close to 20 years ago. I’m on the third set of batteries for it. But the actual drill is still going strong after two decades of use and abuse. I end up using it primarily as a screw gun these days, because of the impact settings. But I have had an actual drill bit in the chuck on at least two occasions since we have been up here. I would easily say this is one of best tools I own.
I picked this thing up last summer. It has been a great watch so far. I chose to bring it with me because it is solar powered. What better type of watch to bring when going into the mountains for an indefinite length of time? Sure, you could bring an automatic, or a manual winder, but I thought solar was the most appropriate choice.
Aside from staying charged as long as the sun doesn’t burn out, this thing can get smacked around without falling apart. In the event that it does fall apart, I could replace it without breaking the bank. Lastly, I love the Gulf GT40 colorway.
After seeing these photos, I feel like I may have actually missed my calling as footwear model. Thanks again to Britt for manning the camera on this one.
Normally when I think of Doc Martens, I think of stiff patent leather and earning a blister or two breaking them in. Certainly I never thought of the brand as producing something that I would willingly choose to wear in the great outdoors. These gems were gifted to me by a DM rep somewhere between 7 and 10 years ago when I was doing a lot of work in the world of men’s fashion. The leather is super soft and did not need to be broken in. From day 1, they felt more like a sneaker than a utility boot. Over the years I have worn them on several backpacking trips (I don’t own a proper pare of hiking boots anymore), and on basically every camping trip that I have done. The heels have both come unseated on different occasions, but it wasn’t something that a little shoe goo could not remedy. I love these things and I didn’t think twice about bringing them with me on this COVID induced hiatus from normal life.
I have sworn by Aesop hand cream for years. It smells amazing without being overpowering, and does not leave a greasy residue on my hands. Most importantly, it really does a great job at moisturizing. I keep a tube at my desk and one in the car. We have a pump bottle of it in the bathroom at home. I have used both of the fragrances options, and really like both of them. I’m sure that it goes without saying that this stuff has been very clutch to have around during these times of hyper vigilant hand washing routines.
This mug was actually marketing swag from one of the law firms I work with. It is constructed with dual aluminum walls separated by a vaccum partition. It is the same tech used for Swell bottles. It keeps its contents hot (or cold) by minimizing heat transfer to or from the contents of the mug. The only complaint that I have is that it occasionally works a little too well. I mean this in the sense that sometimes I have to wait a little bit longer than I would like to for the coffee to cool down to a drinkable temperature, and it has resulted in a scalded tongue on more than one occasion.
The only downside (in my opinion) is that the mug cannot be used to warm up my hand. This isn’t always a desired characteristic. But on chilly mornings, it can certainly be nice to use a traditional mug full of hot coffee to keep my paws toasty. I have to credit Britt for bringing these. She packed the kitchen box. I probably would not have even thought to bring these. But I’m sure glad that she did!
This is my foray into leisurewear modeling. I could only keep Britt engaged behind the camera for about 45 seconds, so I only got one take. Not bad, eh? These pants are a few years old, but sweat pants are a staple at Saturdays pretty much every season, varying by weight and construction. I freaking love these things in the winter. They have been super clutch for the chilly nights and mornings here in the Catskills. I highly endorse these sweat pants, as well as the Saturdays brand generally.
(photo cred: Britt)